Tshimologo Boitumelo
22 August 2008
opinion
Gaborone — I have thoroughly enjoyed stories on American swimmer Michael Phelps. The Star newspaper of South Africa proclaimed him the eighth wonder of the world.
The American prodigy has 'over-leaped' Mark Spitz as the most decorated Olympian with eight gold. Spitz amassed seven at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Phelps' story reminds me of a local radio programme in which listeners were asked to state what inspires them. As expected, it became evident different people are inspired by different things. What inspires me? I like people who, against all odds, are able to pick themselves up and aim high. People who beat physical challenges in their quest to win. I admire those who have no time to groan and moan about their compromised situations and are never intimidated. In sporting terms, think of the likes of Phelps and Oscar Pistorius. People whose 'handicap' are obvious but do not need your sympathy. Someone who twigs you into action when you thought you were in a worse off situation.
Phelps was never given a chance as a young boy and faced big odds. Coming from a broken home, the young American, with gawky looks and large ears, suffered attention deficit disorder and needed medical attention. He was, according to The Star, an abused boy at school and no one gave him a chance. He told the newspaper: "This is just a dream come true. I've achieved all my objectives, all my goals. So many memories come flooding back, the ups and downs, the hard work, the English teacher in middle school who told me I'd never be successful".
So much for Phelps. Here is something closer home. I watched Amantle Montsho race in the 400m finals. I do not know whether the sour taste in my mouth emanated from her bad time of 51.18 or the fact that she was last with no prospect of a medal. Perhaps both. Montsho was stack reminder of how far behind we are in the pecking order of sporting success, at least by Olympics standards.
The potential for success by Botswana athletes is immense. If my memory serves me well, we have been in the finals of an Olympic event at least three times now. Glody Dube made the 800m finals in 2000. Our 4x4 relay team reached the finals in Athens in 2004. Montsho just achieved the feat. We need to put our disappointment into perspective. The Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) does not have capability to perform its functions. There is need to transform our elite sport so that the Botswana flag can fly high in these major sporting events. Transformation needs funds.
The reason Olympics are given four-year cycle is to ensure athletes fully prepare. In our case, the BNOC was only given funds last year - just a year before the Olympics. And this contrasts with Government White Paper No. 4 of 2002, which called for the BNOC to be funded directly. When former minister Moeng Pheto was asked about the 'oversight', he mentioned something about accountability even though BNOC has never failed to account. Pheto wanted BNOC to work under the Botswana National Sport Council (BNSC). Getting funds in the year of competition is unhelpful to our course. While not denying the role played by government, in the case of Montsho, the Olympic Solidarity Programme was very helpful to her. She was able to train and compete in Senegal and France for two years under the programme. And the benefit? She is now ranked eighth in the world and she is champion of Africa. By virtue of her exploits in Beijing, she will surely get an invite into the Golden League. If I may clear the fog off your mind, we have only had short-lived representation in the Golden League in the form of Gabriel Garenamotse (long jump) and Dube and California Molefe.
Preparation for major events mean getting all the experts who can assist an athlete to win gold. Take the case of Christineh Ohuruongu of UK. She had a physiotherapist, bio-kinest, nutritionist, physical trainer, sport psychologist and business manager. She is a member of the Elite Support Program in the UK. She has no business worrying about who pays for her studies, who puts bread on the table. But for Montsho, there was only Bobby Gaseitsewe to take care of her. Gaseitsewe is a world class coach but we need to invest in other specialists who can help our athletes and sportsmen grow to the level we aspire.
We can castigate the BNOC as much as our wind-pipes can allow, but failure from government and corporate Botswana to offer more targeted support will only scuttle any good intentioned efforts. The fact that we have had some athletes reaching the finals of Olympics means both the BNSC and BNOC know what they are doing. But there is no cutting edge- which in my sincere opinion, can be achieved with abundance of resources. We cannot compete with big nations without investing huge resources. There is also a challenge that both BNSC and BNOC face in Botswana.
There is need for regular collaboration and communication between the two bodies. My take is that, presently, there is inadequate cooperation. The strength of the BNSC is in the BNOC and the success of BNOC is in the BNSC. We do not need some expert to come and tell us how to get the formula right. Playing dirty politics and trying to malign each other is never going to work. The collaboration and stakeholder support will help us send more sportspeople to the Olympics. Surely eight athletes, two boxers and two swimmers, even by our own standards is an appallingly small number.
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